Computers & Technologydiscuss Best Organizational Tool when out? in the General Forums forums; I am looking into Getting Things Done by David Allen, and I am wondering what you all keep with you to process all of your ...

Best Organizational Tool when out?

I am looking into Getting Things Done by David Allen, and I am wondering what you all keep with you to process all of your incoming information when you are out and about. What have you found to be most effective?

I have found it most effective to put GTD into what I was already using daily. For me that was Outlook. I keep everything in Outlook - email, tasks, Calendar appointments, etc. So I purchased the GTD Addin for Outlook. It is very nice, and works with Outlook 2010. When I am out and about, my iPhone is the main repository of my information. So I needed something that would easily access that information. The iPhone does not have any kind of native way to access Outlook tasks, so I purchased an app for $8 called iMExchange (now it is in its second version).

"The heart is the main thing in true religion...It is the hinge and turning-point in the condition of man's soul. If the heart is alive to God and quickened by the Spirit, the man is a living Christian. If the heart is dead and has not the Spirit, the man is dead before God." (J.C. Ryle)

I'll have to look into the GTD app. I work very massive Enterprise-wide projects that span organizations across the Marine Corps. The problem I have is not so much managing my own time as it is strategizing and planning to influence others. The GTD thing looks like a good way to keep track of some of the e-mails that sort of loosely connect many different things ongoing that are connected to a massively intricate project.

"The heart is the main thing in true religion...It is the hinge and turning-point in the condition of man's soul. If the heart is alive to God and quickened by the Spirit, the man is a living Christian. If the heart is dead and has not the Spirit, the man is dead before God." (J.C. Ryle)

It is very nice. It organizes all your tasks, including those that are assigned to others (Waiting For) or put on hold (Someday) (I usually have 200+ at any one time).

I'd love to use it at work for my Outlook but our computers won't allow me to install it for work use. Do you have to spend a lot of time studying the GTD method?

That would be a limitation, since it is a Com Add-in. I do not spend a lot of time studying GTD. I read the book, tried to incorporate it, and then on our drive back from Disney I listened to a David Allen seminar that was very helpful.

That looks neat. The disadvantage to me is that I would have to use a second (new) trusted system; but if you have not already put GTD into Outlook, that would be a good place to start. I also know a great many people have used GMail and related apps to implement GTD.

"The heart is the main thing in true religion...It is the hinge and turning-point in the condition of man's soul. If the heart is alive to God and quickened by the Spirit, the man is a living Christian. If the heart is dead and has not the Spirit, the man is dead before God." (J.C. Ryle)